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Political Anthropology, Advanced Course: Anthropology,
International Relations and Diplomacy

Course content

The aim of this Advanced Course in Political Anthropology,
Anthropology, International Relations and Diplomacy, is to
investigate relations between the fields of political anthropology
and international relations.

The course will introduce students to the study of international
relations and diplomacy through an anthropological lens, focusing
on how human political (inter)actions and everyday negotiations
shape state politics and impact on current developments on the
global political scene. The purpose is to explore both how
political anthropology can contribute to the body of international
relations studies and how, in turn, the study of international
relations and diplomacy can inspire the thinking and professional
practice of anthropologists. The course will be highly focused on
practical application, striving to prepare students for
internationally oriented careers by discussing concrete tools and
testing them through use of interactive elements (see below).

International relations (IR) is a well-established academic
discipline studying relations and interactions between national
governments, NGO’s, international organizations and multinational
corporations. Students will gain an understanding of some of the
central elements of IR such as international security, state power,
diplomacy and human rights. At the same time, they will explore how
the study of foreign policy and sovereign states can be grasped
anthropologically, approaching global changes through the study of
local phenomena and applying central concepts from political
anthropology including rituals, authority and
negotiation.

The course will consist of 14 three-hour weekly seminars,
including class lectures, group discussions, student presentations
as well as interactive elements such as real life simulations. The
purpose of the interactive element is to give students a
possibility to apply concrete tools and strengthen professional
skills that can be put to use in subsequent careers.

As part of the applied element of the course, experienced
practitioners with lifelong experiences from the field of IR and
diplomacy will attend as guest lecturers to share concrete
experiences, best practices and lessons learned. Experts from
related disciplines, such as political science, might also be
invited to share insights from their respective fields.

Course literature includes anthropological theory as well as
literature from the field of IR and diplomacy.

Essay length: 21,600–26,400 keystrokes for an individual
submission. 6,750–8,250 keystrokes per extra member for group
submissions. The maximum number of students who can write an essay
in a group is four.